So if we sold Don Cowie for £100k tomorrow you'd be happy because he's going to go for free in July? Or would you rather him see his contract out and perform like he does for us week in week out?
That forum does seem to attract some rather strange individuals with even stranger comments. Surely if we've put a bid in it either gets accepted or not - how are we not showing ambition etc? we can't bid what we don't have... and at the end of the day he is Boro's player, they can do what they like.
Or go for Taylor back on loan only?, paying more of his wages than before to appeal to 'Boro. Other players out there but we know what he can do, he knows what we're about and he can hit the ground running. As an aside, what's the score with Sadler? - Like Ellington is it a case of having to pay Birmingham a load of dosh if he plays again for us? - just a thought with him being a left back already on our books.....
I hope the club have been looking at other possible left backs that we could get on loan. Hopefully Taylor will sign for us on a free at the end of the season. Yes we have looked shaky in defence since he's left, but that could just be because the back four are having to readjust. We're pretty much safe now, so it doesn't really matter if we let loads of goals in.
Boro's local paper seem confident he will be staying http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/boro-f...stays-as-hines-signs-contract-84229-28072040/
Obviously we are safe! Is your glass only empty or half empty? We have a good chance of the play-offs, so start looking upwards. Malky does not mention the 52 point mark anymore, he is looking higher! If we can keep this squad together and add a couple of more good loanees, we have as good a chance of a top six finish as anyone!
He was still talking about it a fortnight ago. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/watford/9361593.stm And the week after that. http://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~2269052,00.html I think you're wrong on that one Woodside.
No but there is only so far you can go when you only have 5 months left on your contract! I think £200k is the maximum it would be feasible to ask for (IMO, obvious guesstimate). Anything else would be ridiculous. Likewise with Cowie, or anybody in the last 6 months of their contract. If you don't want to lose them for free at the end of the season then you can't ask for a stupid price. If you are prepared to lose them at the end of the season on the other hand you can sit around and ask for whatever you like. If we were to pay anywhere near £500k for Taylor the whole board would need sacking for being daft IMO.
Disagree: - We have 42 points on the table. We are not safe until that 52 point mark is achieved. - Malky does mention the 52 point mark... all the time. He didn't mention it in the Late Kickoff interview, but every single other interview where he is asked about it - that's the target - he says that does not change until it's achieved. Therefore that still stands, he knows it, the team knows it - that's always been the aim - reach that, and then take whatever we can get as a bonus, obviously, the sooner that is reached, the better. Agree: - Yes we have a shout at the play-offs, but being realistic, February is a horrific month for us playing 7 games in 26 days - a couple of injuries, and a few dodgy results and we could easily slide out of that picture. Sorry, I'm not being a pessimist - but Malky has spoken biblically about the 52 point target all season, so I don't see how one defeat to Cardiff will mean he has stopped focussing on that target. As for Andrew Taylor - I could have sworn what we originally read was that the ball was in his court in terms of the decision on whether to come back down here, or stay at 'Boro. If it is the case that 'Boro have neither accepted nor rejected yet, and expect us to pay more, I personally think it's fairly pathetic that they have let it drag on this long without saying so, and haven't offered Taylor a new contract up there - if they are going to essentially force him to stay for the rest of the season. Even so, who knows if he certainly would prefer a move here - its the Wobby's "sources" afterall.
Do you know this for sure? This interview on SkySports seems to suggest its ongoing http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11680_6706414,00.html
I sense that Boro are playing us, they know we are desperate for a left back and they are desperate for money. looks like this won't be resolved until the deadline on Monday.
If I were ICT I would not have let him go, of course it may be that he was throwing a hissy fit or he was one of their higher paid players and they'd rather get rid of his wages, but if it was because they wanted the transfer fee then... I don't think ICT being stupid letting him go means that Middlesbrough should let Taylor go now. Unless the money is truly worth it, why would you get rid of a good performer on the lower end of your current wage scale?
Theres a massive difference between the Cowie and Taylor transfers. A move from ICT to Watford is a reasonable step up in Cowies career so perhaps the club decided not to stand in his way. Cowie might (and I dont know this) have already told ICT that he wanted to move on which means they were resigned to losing him and picked up the most a lower Scottish prem or Scottish league 1 side could ask for. Taylor is Boro born and bred, its in his blood and it arguably wouldnt be a step up to move to Watford, hence boro would be reasonably sure they could secure him on a new contract. I hope Taylor signs, it might boil down to whether he wants to play midfield or not as he obviously enjoys playing a both clubs.
Cowie had already signed a pre-contract with Watford for a bosman transfer in the July. This was prior to us subsequently agreeing a deal with ICT to bring the transfer forward to the January. That's a major difference compared with the Taylor deal where as it stands Boro know they stand a chance of keeping him.
Basically on there anyone we do sign "must be rubbish" and anyone we don't "is great,we should've gone for him" I read somewhere Boro wanted nearer 800k for Taylor!
I believe that was in the same 'Boro Gazette' which is now claiming he's staying there. I wouldn't read a lot into anything they write.
The old ''look, their local rag has commented, now let's get some readers buying some papers from our end...''
Borough have given Hines a new contract offer - if I was Taylor I'd be knocking on Mowbray's door asking why he wasn't offering me a new contract. Hopefully he'll be getting annoyed with Borough and come back to us. :biggrin:
Well word is that he has been offered one but he wants to go and Borough wont let him and are just being petty and letting his contract run out.
I don't think they're in a position to just let his contract run out and let him go for nothing in the summer,they need all the money they can get at the moment.
I am astounded that the Andrew Taylor saga has needed 20 pages to conclude that no one actually knows what he's going to do come monday pm !
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9380667.stm From BBC deadline day feed: "1032: I'm hearing that Watford have made an offer to Championship rivals Middlesbrough for left-back Andrew Taylor, but Boro have offered him a new deal. If he rejects it, Boro will most likely accept the offer, but they're keen to keep him." Doesn't really tell us much new, unless of course it's a new offer that we have put in.
Nothing we don't already know but this has just appeared on the BBC Transfer Day live feed: 1032: I'm hearing that Watford have made an offer to Championship rivals Middlesbrough for left-back Andrew Taylor, but Boro have offered him a new deal. If he rejects it, Boro will most likely accept the offer, but they're keen to keep him.
